LAU SAMOA

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Comment by OLLY Simmons on June 22, 2010 at 5:27pm

Malo and bula vinaka...im of lauan decent and so happy to be part of tjis group

Comment by Rejieli Susau Saqanatotoka on June 7, 2010 at 2:23pm

bula all...just wanted to join this group to know more about my blood relation to Samoa....my great grandmother is a full Samoan married to my great grandfather who is a full Rotuman.....

Comment by George Sale Asuega on May 8, 2010 at 11:36am

A HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL OUR MOTHERS.

Comment by Lanieta Tukana on April 11, 2010 at 12:43am

Samoan Housing Becomes a Sanctuary Against Climate Risks

WASHINGTON, DC, November 13, 2009 -- Traditional Pacific know-how in building design could become one of the most effective ways for Pacific Islanders to withstand the impacts of climate change. That’s the fervent belief and mission of one of the winners of the 2009 Development Marketplace – Tafaoimalo (Loudeen) Parsons from the Samoa-based Afeafe o Vaetoefaga Pacific Academy of Cultural Restoration, Research and Development.

Loudeen, who recently witnessed first-hand the aftermath of a tsunami which hit Samoa, says traditional Samoan houses survived the wave’s impacts where western housing did not.
“Driving around in the most affected areas, what’s really noticeable rising out of the destruction are the traditional Samoan houses and buildings – still standing beside some of the western housing that was completely demolished.”

The Samoan fale (pronounced farl-eh) is round in construction and lashed and tied together with afa - an organic sennit rope. Afa is made by twisting together the fibers of dry coconut husks. The lashing work is traditionally done by elderly men while women make the thatch for the domed roof of the fale – either from coconut palm leaves or sugar cane.
In 2003, when Loudeen’s organization wanted to renovate an old surviving fale in the capital Apia for its headquarters, it was very hard to find people with knowledge about lashing, thatch-making and traditional construction. A New Zealand-based Tongan specialist in lashing was brought to Samoa to work with a number of elders who then passed the revived techniques onto their sons and daughters.

Now, fales and traditional building techniques are becoming more sought after. “These houses are important culturally and ceremonially,” says Loudeen. “They’re also better to look at and much cooler in our climate.”

With climate risks increasing in the Pacific and cyclones expected to become more intense and frequent, there is growing interest in returning to the housing of old – not least because they are less dangerous in a cyclone. “In the cyclones we’ve seen in the past few years, people have been injured or killed by falling concrete blocks that are reinforced with steel or by flying sheets of corrugated iron,” says Loudeen.
Through the Development Marketplace award, three communities across two islands will be engaged in a program to build three model houses using traditional techniques.
“They will be places where people can learn and try out the construction methods and just be involved in the process of building. It becomes a practical place of learning and gathering – young women can re-learn how to do the thatching and how to make woven blinds and young men can learn about sennit lashing. They will be like hubs of learning.”

***

About the Development Marketplace
The Development Marketplace is a competitive grant program that identifies and funds innovative, early-stage development projects with high potential for impact and replication. The program is co-sponsored by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the World Bank Institute.
This year’s contest gathered ideas around climate adaptation in developing countries placing special focus on indigenous communities dealing with climate risks, climate adaptation and disaster risk management, and managing climate risks in ways that provide multiple benefits—eliciting ideas to help people deal with the effects of climate change, especially those living in some of the earth’s most vulnerable ecosystems.
A rigorous assessment by 200 specialists from within and outside the World Bank Group narrowed the list of 1,700 proposals to 100 finalists who were invited to present their ideas in Washington, D.C. this week. Since 1998, the Development Marketplace has awarded more than $61 million to initiatives identified through global, regional, and country competitions.

Comment by Tomasi Kaulave on April 2, 2010 at 6:52am

Hi all, I am Samoan/Tongan with connection to Fiti through my Samoan and Tongan side. I hail from the village of PagoPago Tutuila. I am from the matai family of Vaivao and Tuaolo of PagoPago. I am here to listen and learn of my Fiti connections and reconnect with relatives. Soifua

Comment by Nancy Thompson Mahler on March 28, 2010 at 11:28pm

I'm sitting here at my desk right now drinking a cool bottle of "FIJI Water." It is the best, our mission is to bring this fresh spring water to all the remote villages of the Fijian Islands.

Thank you for your kind words, if things came easy we wouldn't be as grateful and it wouldn't taste so sweet.

We have been blessed as we have worked to make this happen, its a long process to start something like this but well worth the effort. Thanks to our friends around the world for their support and most of all the Fijian people who have supported us, worked shoulder to shoulder with us, nourished us and housed us.

We are a new and small nonprofit, but we are growing and one day we pray that all the world has safe drinking water to enjoy. We hope to be able to work closely with the Fijian Government to find the villages in most need of drinking water. We cannot do this alone, so for those who have supported us, encouraged us and worked with us a big Bula Vinaka!!

Thank you George for your support in our cause and spreading the word!

With God all things are possible.

One village at a time, together we can...

http://wananavukadavu.org/

Comment by George Sale Asuega on March 28, 2010 at 10:14pm

A big vinaka vakalevu and fa'afetai tele lava to the Mahler
family for your unselfish commitment and charitable work
to bring safe drinking water directly to remote villages.
Although there is an abundance of this life sustaining liquid,
the process involved to channel it from its source to the
villagers can be complicated, laborious and of course requires
financial support.

We here at Matavuvale will continue to offer that support
in every way we can by featuring completed projects from one
village to another. We further ask our members for their donation
toward this worthy cause.

Again thank you Mr Sorensen and the Mahler family and may God
bless you in your journey.

MTVVL Admin/Moderator.

Comment by Nancy Thompson Mahler on March 26, 2010 at 9:09pm

I am the founder of a nonprofit, Wananavu Kadavu. Our goal is to bring safe drinking water into remote villages. Our first project on Kadavu, Fiji Islands in the Nuku Settlement. Our project manager Ben Sorensen is over seeing our projects, a small group of us are traveling to Fiji in April 2010 with supplies for our Fijian friends. Only God knows where our journey will take us.

One village at a time, together we can...

Comment by mythbuster on March 15, 2010 at 10:31pm

talofa.....

my mums family's from sawaii...dads from a sasina in savaii.....mums dad used to tell me stories....about people who were half spirit half human....in the ancient times...he told me the first people that arrived in fiji were these half spirits from samoa......followed by nearby melanesians...papua new guinea....solomon islands.....etc.....he told me of a place in samoa of great importance to polynesians......savaii....falealupo...is the place where these spirits entered the underworld.........i visited falealupo 2 years ago on a xmas trip......and found that the place....holds secrets......of the polynesian mysterys.......also in savaii.....ther are many places in which my fijian family in ancient times resided.......i read that fijians are half melanesian half polynesian........interesting....

Comment by George Sale Asuega on February 13, 2010 at 11:18am

Bula vinaka, talofa lava and malo e lelei, members.
On behalf of lauangurl, I am happy to welcome Komai,
Fendi, Alia, Moatunu and Tavaita to our cozy group.
It never ceases to amaze me how much influence our
three nations has impacted the Pacific Region in terms
of history, geography, economy and our rich culture.
Something that we should always be proud of.

Stay blessed.

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